Irma Rips Away Rooftops in Florida

Social media is a means for millions of Floridians affected by Hurricane Irma to keep in touch. Many took to social media to send status updates to loved ones and to share their experiences with the world.

Snap Map, Snapchat's newest feature, provides an up-close video perspective of Irma's wrath. As the storm made landfall on the United States with wind speeds at 130 mph, Snapchat user videos with location services turned on were discoverable on the Snap Map.

While many took to Facebook to share personal status updates during Irma and journalists presented coverage related to the impact on both Florida coasts, many turned to Facebook Live to share their experiences on live video.

Pastor David Uth aired a Facebook Live to inform the public that services had been canceled at First Baptist Orlando and that the Red Cross is using the church as a shelter.

The Facebook Live map is a central depository of all Facebook Lives happening real-time across the globe. Anyone on the web or on a mobile device, can hover over the blue circles on the map to be taken to a real-time Facebook Live that was set to broadcast publicly.

One in every five videos is a Facebook Live, according to a Facebook spokesperson.

In addition to Live video, Facebook members leveraged Safety Check activated by Florida's Facebook community as a "simple and easy way for people to let friends and family know they're safe and check on others after a major disaster or crisis."